Dog Tricks Training Guide

Teach your dog the easy way with our dog trick how to's

Doing
tricks with your dog is a great way to bond with him and reinforce
basic training. It can also be pretty fun and a way to show
off your dog's intelligence when your friends come to visit.

Our dog tricks training guide builds on the basics of dog training, so make sure
your dog knows how to sit, stay, lay down and come before you teach
him anything else.

Read on to find 5 fun and easy trick how to's for
you and your dog to do together. Once you learn these dog
tricks and how to train them, you'll see that training your dog to
do tricks is quite easy.

Easy Dog Trick - Give Me a Kiss

This is a cute
trick that’s pretty easy to teach your dog. With this trick, your
dog will give you a kiss on command. It’s up to you if you want him
to kiss you on the mouth, the nose or the cheek.

Here’s how it goes:

Put your dog in
the sit position. Treat him for sitting.

Place one of
your dog’s treats in your mouth – sticking out between your lips
so your dog can see it. (If you don’t like the idea of putting
dog food in your mouth, use people food like cereal, for the
trick.)

When your dog
puts his mouth by your mouth, give him the treat.

Repeat these
steps a few times.

Begin saying
“Kiss” when your dog moves toward your mouth for the treat. Do
this several times.

Take the treat
in your hand, say “Kiss” and when your dog moves toward your
mouth, give him a treat.

When you say
“Kiss”, begin touching your dogs mouth with your mouth or cheek
when he moves toward you. Treat him after each kiss he gives
you.

Practice until
your dog automatically presses his mouth to your cheek or mouth
when you say “Kiss.” Treat your dog for doing the trick
properly.

How To Train Your Dog The Shake Trick

Learning to shake
is a typical trick that many people teach their dogs, but it’s still
an impressive one. Dogs who like to use their paws to move things
around or use their paws in play are naturals for this trick.

Teach your dog to shake hands like this:

Put your dog in
the sit position. Treat him for sitting.

Holding a treat
in one hand, extend your other hand towards your dog.

Pick up his paw
and say “Shake.”

Immediately
after you let go of your dog’s hand, give him a treat.

Repeat several
times.

Then, say
“Shake” and see if your dog extends his paw. If he does, he has
learned the trick – shake his paw and give him a treat. If not,
give it some more practice until he automatically extends his
paw when the command is given.

Wave Hello Dog Trick How To

This
trick is a lot of fun for your dog to do when he’s meeting someone
for the first time or saying goodbye to someone. It involves your
dog waving his paw in the air. The wave trick is an extension of the
shake trick, so make sure your dog has mastered shake before he
learns to wave.

Here’s how it goes:

Put your dog in
a sit and stay position. Move away from him and walk back to him
and treat him a few times.

Back in front
of your dog, say “Shake.” Treat him for performing the trick
correctly. Do this about 4 times.

Take one step
away from your dog and ask him to “Shake.” Instead of extending
your hand and shaking his paw, extend your hand and quickly
withdraw it. Treat your dog. Do this several times to get your
dog in the habit of swiping the air with his paw instead of
making contact with your hand.

When your dog
will extend his paw to you with just a cue of your extended
hand, begin to say “Wave” as the command. Practice several
times; treating your dog every time he does the trick properly.

Easy Dog Trick - Bang Bang! Play Dead

Playing dead is a
simple extension of lying down for your dog. If you add a little
drama and use the words “Bang! Bang!” forming your hand into a gun
shape, this becomes a more impressive trick.

Teach your dog to play dead like this:

Put your dog in
the lie down position. Treat him for lying down.

Use a treat to
lure your dog to lie down on his side. If he needs a little help
getting into position, place your hand on your dog’s side and
gently push him to lie down to one side. Treat him for lying
down on his side.

Repeat several
times and say “Bang Bang!” each time your dog lies on his side.
Remember to treat your dog each time he gets into the position.

Practice these
steps until your dog automatically lies on his side when you say
“Bang Bang!” Treat him for performing the trick properly.

Begin forming
your hand into a gun shape each time you give your dog the
command.

Over time and
with practice, your dog will be able to do this trick from a
standing or sitting position.

Hold the Cookie Dog Trick How To

This trick is the
ultimate in delayed gratification for your dog. It involves your dog
holding a treat or cookie on his nose until you instruct him to drop
it and eat it.

Here’s how it goes:

Put your dog in
the sit position. Treat him for sitting.

Take a treat in
one hand and place it on top of your dog’s nose.

Treat your dog
immediately.

Repeat this
sequence and gradually extend the amount of time that your dog
holds the treat on his nose until he can hold the treat for a
few seconds. Remember to treat him every time he holds the
treat.

When your dog
will hold the treat for a few seconds, say “Hold it.”

As you
practice, you can gradually make the hold time longer until your
dog will hold the treat for thirty seconds. Remember to say
“Hold it” and treat your dog every time he holds the treat on
his nose.